1. The name of the organization is International Association for Mathematical Geosciences, hereinafter called IAMG, which is an international scientific, nongovernmental, nonpolitical, and nonprofit-making organization. IAMG shall be affiliated to the International Union of Geological Sciences and the International Statistical Institute and associated with the American Association of Petroleum Geologists..

2. The aim of IAMG is to promote international cooperation in the application and use of mathematics in geoscience research and technology. To this end the activities of the IAMG shall include:

a. the organization of meetings, of field excursions, and of visits to centers of research and technology;

b. the issue of publications on the application of mathematics in the geological sciences, and of discussions thereon;

3. IAMG accepts as members: geoscientists, statisticians, and other interested individuals or organizations.

III. Administration

4. The affairs of IAMG shall be administered by the membership through General Referendums (Article 5), and on behalf of the membership by the Council (Articles 10-12) and Delegate Assemblies (Articles 6-9). The will of the membership as expressed in the results of General Referendums is the highest authority of IAMG.

a. A committee is defined to be a standing group to deal with business or issues of a permanent nature, whereas a commission is a task force to deal with a short-term need. Unless otherwise specified in the Bylaws, committee members remain in office until the end of the term of the voting members of the Council and are eligible for reappointment. The President or a Council Member designated by the President shall be a non-voting member ex officio of any commission or committee.

b. The Council has the power to appoint any commission and committee it may deem necessary for the scientific and administrative work of the IAMG. The power to dissolve a commission or committee rests with the Council. The Chair of any commission or committee shall be appointed by the Council.

c. A General Referendum or Delegate Assembly may direct the Council to appoint commissions or committees.

5. In a General Referendum, all members in good standing (as specified in Article 2 of the Bylaws) may vote on any issues put to the IAMG membership by the Council.

a. All General Referendums will be announced by the Council. Notice of questions to be voted on in a General Referendum shall be given to the members at least one (1) month in advance of the General Referendum except as specified in Article 24 of the Statutes.

b. All General Referendums will be supervised by the Secretary General, except as specified in Article 11, paragraph g.

c. General Referendums may be held at any time deemed necessary by the Council — acting on its own initiative, at the request of 25% of the membership, or as directed by a Delegate Assembly. (Article 7e)

d. Voting in a General Referendum shall be by electronic ballot, using the Internet, with open voting lasting two (2) weeks. Decisions of a General Referendum shall be based on a simple majority of votes. If there is a parity of votes, the President (or, in the President's absence, the Executive Vice President or, in the Executive Vice President's additional absence, the Secretary General) has the deciding vote. However, decisions on amendments to the Statutes and Bylaws and on dissolution of IAMG shall be transacted as determined by Articles 22-25.

6. A Delegate Assembly is a business meeting of IAMG open to all IAMG members in attendance at an IAMG Symposium (held at an International Geologic Congress—IGC) or at an IAMG annual conference.

a. All members in good standing (as specified in Article 2 of the Bylaws) have the right to attend a Delegate Assembly, to participate in the debates, and to vote on all called questions during a Delegate Assembly.

b. In voting, each member of IAMG has one (1) vote. Each member institution may appoint one (1) representative who has one (1) vote.

c. A Delegate Assembly held during the IAMG Symposium at an IGC shall be designated a Quadrennial Delegate Assembly unless an IAMG annual conference is held in the same year as an IGC, in which case the Delegate Assembly at the annual conference shall be designated as the Quadrennial Delegate Assembly.

7. In a Delegate Assembly, participants may:

a. receive and discuss reports from the Officers and Council;

b. receive and discuss reports from the committee and commission Chairs, and from persons to whom special tasks have been entrusted by a General Referendum, the Council, or a previous Delegate Assembly;

c. review results of voting in all General Referendums including those on amendments to the Statutes and Bylaws and on election of Officers and Councilors, if any, since the previous Delegate Assembly;

d. propose amendments to the Statutes and Bylaws;

e. direct the Council to present specific questions to the membership in General Referendums;

f. direct the Council to consider specific issues, including appointment of specific commissions or committees;

g. conduct any other pertinent business.

8. 8. Voting at a Delegate Assembly shall be by ballot or show of hands, at the discretion of the Chair. Decisions of a Delegate Assembly shall be based on simple majority of votes. If there is a parity of votes, the President (or, in the President's absence, the Executive Vice President or, in the Executive Vice President's additional absence, the Secretary General) has the deciding vote.

9. The President and the Secretary General of the Council (or individuals designated by them) shall be the Chair and the Secretary, respectively, of Delegate Assemblies.

10. The Council consists of sixteen (16) members: twelve (12) voting members and four (4) non-voting members. No person shall occupy more than one Council position at any one time, with the exception noted in paragraph h.

a. Eight (8) of the voting members of the Council shall be directly elected as stated in article 7 of the Statutes:

i. the President,

ii. the Executive Vice President,

iii. the Treasurer,

iv. four (4) Ordinary Council Members,

v. the representative from the host country for the next International Geological Congress.

b. Three (3) voting members shall be appointed by the President and shall serve for as long as they have the confidence of the President. They are:

i. the Secretary General,

ii. two (2) Ordinary Vice Presidents

c. The final voting member is the Past President.

d. The four (4) non-voting members shall be appointed by the Council, subject to contractual obligations with journal publishers. They are:

i. three Editors-in-Chief, one for each of the three IAMG journals

ii. the Newsletter and Website Editor.

e. The President, the Executive Vice President, the Secretary General, and the Treasurer are hereafter referred to as the Officers of IAMG and are the four (4) members of the Executive Committee.

f. The three (3) Vice Presidents shall be assigned duties by the President in consultation with the Council.

g. The term of office of the voting members of the Council is from the end of one Quadrennial Delegate Assembly until the end of the next Quadrennial Delegate Assembly. However, if the next Quadrennial Delegate Assembly is held in conjunction with an IGC that occurs prior to the month of August (with no additional IAMG annual conference in the same year) the term of office of the voting members of the Council shall end for the old Council and begin for the new Council on 1 September of that year.

i. The President shall not be eligible for more than one (1) term of office as President, immediately following which they will serve one (1) term on the Council as Past President. If, during their term as Past President on the Council, they serve as on officer of another geoscience association, union or society, their position on the IAMG Council shall be a nonvoting position.ii, All other voting members of the Council can serve for no more than two (2) consecutive terms.iii. The Newsletter and Website Editor serves until replaced by the Council.iv. The Editors-in-Chief serve until their positions with the journal publishers cease.

h. If the office of President becomes temporarily or permanently vacant between Quadrennial Delegate Assemblies, the Executive Vice President shall act as President. If any other of the elected Council positions mentioned in paragraph a. becomes vacant between Quadrennial Delegate Assemblies, a replacement shall be appointed by the Council to serve for the remainder of the term of office.

11. At least one (1) year before the meeting of a Quadrennial Delegate Assembly, the Council shall appoint a Nominating Commission to develop a list of candidates for the eight (8) elected Council seats determined by Article 10, paragraph a, of these Statutes.

a. The President or a Council Member designated by the President shall be the nonvoting Chair.

b. The Nominating Commission shall consist of five (5) voting members in addition to the Chair;

c. A Vice-Chair shall be selected by the Commission’s voting members from among its voting members.

d. No currently serving Council member may be a voting member of the Nominating Commission.

e. The Nominating Commission shall report to the Council its list of candidates no later than nine (9) months prior to the Quadrennial Delegate Assembly.

f. No serving member of the Nominating Commission can be nominated for any of the offices.

g. The general voting for Officers and Councillors will be conducted through a General Referendum starting at least three (3) months prior to the Quadrennial Delegate Assembly. This General Referendum shall be supervised by the Vice-Chair of the Nominating Committee.

h. At the conclusion of voting the Vice-Chair shall report the results of the election to the Council. This concludes the work of the Nominating Commission.

12. The Council conducts the work of IAMG between Quadrennial Delegate Assemblies in accordance with the Statutes, Bylaws, recommendations and directives of Delegate Assemblies and results of General Referendums.

a. The Council is empowered to suspend a Bylaw temporarily, subject to approval of a Delegate Assembly or the IAMG membership in a General Referendum.

b. Decisions of the Council are by simple majority. Each member has one (1) vote. If there is a parity of votes, the President (or, in the President's absence, the Executive Vice President or, in the Executive Vice President's additional absence, the Secretary General) has the deciding vote.

c. A quorum shall be at least half the voting members of the Council and include at least two (2) of the officers.

d. The Council has the power to conduct its business by post, by e-mail, by using the IAMG website or by video conferencing over the Internet.

e. Reports from Officers, Council, committee Chairs and persons to whom special tasks have been entrusted by the membership, the Council or a Delegate Assembly may be included in the transactions of Council meetings held during annual IAMG conferences or quadrennial IAMG Symposia (Articles 18-21).

IV. Domicile and representation

13. The legal domicile of IAMG shall be established and published by the Council and shall remain in effect until the Council changes it. All contracts involving IAMG shall be signed by the President and one of the officers. The President is the official representative of IAMG, but the President may appoint a proxy to represent IAMG at certain functions.

V. Finances

14. The business of IAMG shall be carried on without the purposes of financial gain for any individuals or adhering organizations. Membership fees shall be as laid down in the Bylaws.

15. 15. The income of IAMG, such as membership fees, royalties and contributions from other sources, shall be held in custody by the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall hold the IAMG funds in such a way that they are readily available for the activities of IAMG. With the exception of a money market or checking account with funds necessary for the regular operating expenses of the IAMG, all financial assets of the IAMG shall be held in investment accounts requiring the signatures of both the Treasurer and the President for withdrawal of funds.

16. IAMG is under no obligation to pay expenses that are incurred without the sanction of the Treasurer and the President. The members of the Council shall receive no salaries. Items that may properly be charged as expenses include office expenses, printing expenses, publishing expenses, and travel expenses.

17. Each year the Treasurer shall contract the services of a certified accounting firm to review the accounts of the IAMG. The report of the reviewers shall be quoted in the balance sheet presented to the Council.

VI. International meetings on mathematical geosciences

18. IAMG shall promote a symposium on mathematical geosciences to be held in association with the quadrennial International Geological Congress (IGC) and a conference on mathematical geosciences to be held annually in the intervening years. IAMG may hold an annual conference on mathematical geosciences during the same year as the IGC if deemed appropriate by the Council.

19. Individuals wishing to host an annual IAMG conference shall develop a proposal and form a conference Organizing Committee (with Local Organizing and Scientific Subcommittees) as specified in the Guidelines to organize IAMG conferences. The IAMG Treasurer and members of the IAMG Meetings Committee shall become advisory members of the Organizing Committee named in any proposal accepted by Council. The Officers and Council of the IAMG shall support the Organizing Committee in every possible manner.

20. For the purpose of paying for local expenses in conjunction with an annual IAMG Conference, the Organizing Committee shall have accounts separate from those of IAMG. The Local Organizing Subcommittee shall contract the services of a certified accounting firm to review the accounts of the Organizing Committee and assist in preparation of any tax forms and payments required by the host country.

21. The Council:

a. shall request proposals to organize the annual IAMG conferences.

b. has the right to select the most suitable proposal for a given year, or to reject them all.

c. may accept invitations to organize or sponsor other conferences or conference sessions on mathematical geosciences jointly with other professional organizations.

VII. Amendments to the Statutes and dissolution of IAMG

22. The Statutes of IAMG can be amended only through a General Referendum. Proposals for amendments must be received by the Secretary General at least two (2) months before this General Referendum.

23. Any proposal for the dissolution of IAMG must be received by the President and Secretary General at least four (4) months before the General Referendum considering the dissolution.

24. Proposals for dissolution of IAMG shall be sent to the members not later than two (2) months before the General Referendum.

25. A two-thirds majority of voting IAMG members shall be required for amendments of the Statutes and for dissolution of IAMG to be accepted.

26. In the event of dissolution of IAMG, its assets shall pass to the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). If the IUGS is, at the time of the IAMG's dissolution, no longer in existence, no longer qualified as an exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law), or unwilling or unable to accept the assets of the IAMG, then the IAMG assets shall be distributed exclusively for charitable and scientific purposes to an organization or organizations that are qualified as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law). Should IAMG financial assets be held in other countries, tax exempt requirements shall again be examined and appropriate arrangement shall be made for distribution of IAMG financial assets in the event of dissolution of the organization.

Bylaws

I. Membership

1. The Association offers two main types of membership: individual and institutional. Individual Members can be Regular Members or Student Members. Any individual interested in the activities of the Association qualifies to be a Regular Member. Individuals who have served the IAMG beyond the call of duty may be offered to become Honorary Life Members. A Student Member needs to be enrolled at a university of acceptable academic standards.

2. Dues and benefits shall be determined by Council and published on the IAMG Website (http://www.iamg.org). Membership is established upon joining the IAMG. To maintain membership in good standing, the annual dues must be paid before January 31 of the year to which they relate. Dues are not refundable.

II. Appointments

3. Not more than two (2) Ordinary Members, and, in all, five (5) voting members of the Council, shall be from the same country. This Bylaw shall be reviewed at every Quadrennial Delegate Assembly.

4. Any Officer or Council Member who resigns or who is more than one (1) year in arrears of dues shall be replaced by majority vote of the Council from nominations made by the President. The newly appointed member shall fill the unexpired term of office and shall be subject to the same conditions of office as outlined in the Statutes and Bylaws of the IAMG.

5. The Editors-in-Chief of the IAMG journals, in consultation with the Council and the Publishers, shall be empowered to appoint one (1) Deputy Editor, up to ten (10) Associate Editors, and up to thirty (30) other Editorial Board members. The Newsletter and Website Editor shall be empowered to appoint one (1) Deputy Editor, and up to ten (10) Associate Editors.

6. The President shall appoint an Archivist to be responsible for maintaining the permanent records and files of the IAMG. The President shall be empowered to appoint a Historian to document the history of the association.

7. The Chair of a committee or commission, in consultation with the Council, shall appoint the members of the committee or commission.

III. Topical sections

8. Topical or regional sections may be constituted within the IAMG. Application for forming a topical or regional section is to be made to the Council.

9. A topical or regional section may be formed if the membership of a group of members with similar interests or from the same region deems it desirable, conforms to the Statutes and Bylaws of the IAMG, and submits a report to the Secretary General annually.

10. Topical or regional sections shall be responsible for formulating their own Bylaws and regulations.

IV. Awards

11. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and By-Law 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Awards Committee, that consists of six members of the Association (the chair, four ordinary members, and the President, or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio), to seek nominations, select recipients, and announce winners of the William Christian Krumbein Medal, the Felix Chayes Prize for Excellence in Research in Mathematical Petrology, the John Cedric Griffiths Teaching Award, and the Andrei Borisovich Vistelius Research Award. Each member of the Awards Committee shall be appointed for a term of four years, with terms of members overlapping. Members of the Awards Committee shall be ineligible to receive any of the Association's awards while serving on the Committee.

12. The William Christian Krumbein Medal is the highest award given by the Association and the recipient shall be so honored and acknowledged. The Krumbein Medal is awarded to senior scientists for career achievement, which includes (a) distinction in application of mathematics or informatics in the earth sciences, (b) service to the IAMG, and (c) support to professions involved in the earth sciences. There is no stipulated preference for fields of application within the earth sciences.

13. The Felix Chayes Prize for Excellence in Research in Mathematical Petrology is a cash prize endowed in honor of Felix Chayes that shall be given to recipients of exceptional potential and proven research ability. The prize shall be presented for outstanding contributions to statistical petrology or related applications of mathematics or informatics. Prospective recipients should be in mid-career.

14. The John Cedric Griffiths Teaching Award shall be presented to honor outstanding teaching, with preference for teaching that involves application of mathematics or informatics to the Earth's nonrenewable natural resources or to sedimentary geology. Age or academic status are not conditions for the award.

15. The Andrei Borisovich Vistelius Research Awards shall be presented biennially to one male and one female early-career scientist for promising contributions in research in the fields of mathematical geosciences and geoinformatics. There is no preference for specific areas of application. A recipient should be either (a) 35 years or younger at the end of the calendar year when selected for the award or (b) within seven years of the awarding of his or her highest degree. These time limits can be extended for up to two years to address circumstances which have interrupted the nominee’s career (i.e., serious illness, child birth, care giver, etc.).

16. Each of the four awards shall not be presented more often than every two years. In the event that a qualified recipient is deemed to be unavailable, presentation of an award may be delayed so that it is presented at intervals greater than two years. A specific award may not be presented to a group or an individual more than once.

17. The Founders Scholarship shall be presented annually to an outstanding student or post-graduate scientist. This scholarship will be given in honor or memory of individuals who participated in the founding of IAMG in1968 at the 23rd International Geologic Congress in Prague and who subsequently gave significant service to the Association.

18. Each IAMG journal may select every year the most outstanding paper. Selection of Best Paper shall be made by a commission appointed by the journal's Editor-in-Chief from members of the journal's editorial board and the Association at large. Each selection commission shall consist of at least five members. The President shall serve as non-voting member ex officio of the commission. Awards for best papers shall be recognized in an appropriate fashion.

V. Publications

19. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and Bylaw 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Publications Committee, that consists of nine or more members of the Association (the Chair, the Editors-in-Chief of the IAMG journals, the Newsletter and Website Editor, the Editor of the IAMG Monograph Series, two other IAMG members, and the President, or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio), to co-ordinate matters pertaining to the Association’s publications.

VI. Special Lecturers

20. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and Bylaw 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Lectures Committee, that consists of at least six members of the Association (the Chair, four or more ordinary members, and the President, or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio), to seek nominations, and select each year an IAMG Distinguished Lecturer. The Distinguished Lecturer preferably shall lecture on subjects in mathematical geoscience in places where IAMG annual meetings are not normally held. Members of the Lectures Committee shall be ineligible to be selected as IAMG Distinguished Lecturer while serving on the committee.

21. The Lectures Committee, in accordance with Bylaw 7, shall seek nominations, and select each year a Georges Matheron Lecturer who is a scientist with proven research ability in the field of spatial statistics or mathematical morphology. Members of the Lectures Committee shall be ineligible to be selected as Georges Matheron Lecturer while serving on the committee.

VII. Student Affairs

22. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and Bylaw 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Student Affairs Committee, that consists of at least six members of the Association (including the Chair, four or more ordinary members, and the President, or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio), to seek nominations, and select each year promising students in mathematical geoscience as recipients of student grants for travel to IAMG and IAMG co-sponsored meetings. The Committee Chair shall assist in the annual selection of IAMG members who are to determine winners of the student research grants associated with each of the three IAMG journals. Each member of the Student Affairs Committee shall be appointed for a term of four years, with terms of members overlapping. This committee shall also select and oversee IAMG Student Chapters at universities with mathematical geoscience programs.

23. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and Bylaw 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Curriculum Quality Committee, that consists of six members of the Association (the chair, four ordinary members, and the President, or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio), to select and accredit courses for Master Degree students specializing in mathematical geoscience, and for professional development of IAMG Members.

VIII. IAMG and IAMG co-sponsored conferences

24. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and Bylaw 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Meetings Committee, that consists of at least four members of the Association (the Chair, the IGC Councilor, one or more ordinary members, and the President or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio), to centralize the internal and external coordination and oversight of scientific meetings, both those organized by the IAMG and those held by others in which the IAMG is a co-sponsor and organizes one or more sessions.

IX. Outreach

25. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and Bylaw 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Outreach Committee, that consists of at least seven members (the Chair, the Chair of the Publications Committee, the Newsletter and Website Editor, the Archivist, two or more ordinary members, and the President or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio) to promote the IAMG and use of mathematics in the geosciences in coordination with international institutions such as the Earth Science Matters Foundation, UNESCO and Young Earth Scientists (YES) by developing brochures, publication of outreach articles and the organization of IAMG booths at scientific meetings.

X. Amendments

26. The Bylaws can be amended only through a General Referendum. Amendment of the Bylaws shall be by simple majority of votes.

XI. Rights

27. All IAMG announcements, circulars, etc., shall be made available to each member of IAMG.

28. The International Association for Mathematical Geosciences recognizes the principle of human rights as a fundamental requisite for the achievement of mutual understanding among people and promotes the unrestricted flow of ideas by word and image.

XII. Annual report

28. The IAMG shall prepare an annual report of its activities to be submitted to the Executive of the International Union of Geological Sciences.